Improvement in power-looms



NITED STATES PATENT Fincat ALEXANDER SMITH AND HALOYON SKINNER, OF VEST FARMS, NEV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN POWER-LOOMS.

Specicaton forming part of Letters Patent No. 16,037, dated November 4, 1856.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER SMITH and HALcYoN SKINNER, of West Farms, Westchester county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Power-Looms for the Manufacture of Tufted Pile Fabrics, particularly what are known as Axrninster carpets, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which-- Figure lis a frontelevation; Fig. 2, a righthand side and Fig. 3 a left-hand side elevation; Fig. 4, a cross vertical section; Fig. 5, a separate section exhibiting the spool in -its position after being carried away from the chains by the claw-arms; Fig. 6, a plan View of the arrangement for carrying away the spool from the chains. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the arrangement for operating the cutters. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the arrangement for operating the nippers. Fig. 9 represents the cams on the figuring cam-shaft. Fig. l0 represents t-he cam for operating the clutch for disengaging the lay and settingin motion the figuring cam-shaft, and vice versa, and Fig. 1l represents the cams for operating the heddles.

The saine letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The kind of fabric which our improved loom is designed to weave is composed of tufts of yarn to form the iiguring pile and held by a linen warp and weft to form a back resembling the back of tapestry Brussels carpeting interwoven with the usual heddles and shuttle, as in weaving tapestryBrussels carpeting, such fabrics being generally known under the nameof Axminstercarpets,and although our said invention is applicable to the `weaving of such tufted fabrics with a linen'backsimilar to the back of tapestry Brussels carpets, yet the better to secure the figuring tufts or pile in the said fabrics we prefer to make the back in a manner somewhat diiferen t, and in describing the manner of mounting our said loom and of forming the fabric we deem it best to give such description' in connection with the kind of back which we prefer, not meaning, however, thereby to limit ourselves to the weaving of such fabrics with a back thus formed, as it will be obvious that the manner of forming the back may be greatly varied.

The linen warp is composed of two parts ct Aand b, each mounted on separate yarn-beams c and d, and although the two warps may be of any size desired by the manufacture we prefer to make the warp ct of thicker threads than the warp b. These two warps are mounted on separate beams, because it is desirable that the warp a, which we term the straight warp, should be under greater tension than the warp b for the purpose of keeping it as straight as practicable in the woven fabric, while the other warp b is under a less tension that it may be bent around the figuring-tufts and the weft-threads. The tension on these two kinds of warps can be determined or regulated by any of the known means not necessary to describe, as this makes no part of our invention.

The straight warp a is divided all the way across into two parts in any suitable proportion, although we prefer half and half. One portion we term the tufting-warps because the figuring-tufts are secured thereto, and the other the body-warps, because they are used to give body or strength to the fabric, and the other warps b, before referred to, we term the binding-in warps, because they serve to secure or bind the iiguring-tufts to the tufting-warps.

The warps a, before stated, we divide into two parts, and the part which we term the tufting-warps we arrange into pairs, each pair consisting of two threads, and in each space between two pairs we put one, two, or more threads of the portion which wev term the body-warps, the number of threads so interposed depending upon the relative proportion of threads in each part. The tufting portion of the warp a we passin pairs through the heddles of one leaf of harness e and the bodyportion through the heddles of another leaff, and the binding-in warp b through a third-leaf of harness g, and then these several warps are carried through the reed of the lay and thence to va cloth-beam t', which should be provided with'any suitable take-up motion; but in passing the said warps through the reed care should be taken'to have one dent of the reed between the two threads composing each pair of the tufting-warps and one thread of the binding-in warp l) with one e remar thread of each pair of tufting-warps et, that in weaving the fabric it may be brought under the tufts in a manner to be hereinafter described.

There is but one shuttle employed to carry a weft-thread, as in forming the back of tapestry Brussels carpets.

In commencing the operation the leaf of harness c is carried up with the tufting por tion of the warp c, while thebody portion of the said warp c and the binding-in warp b remain down. When all the warps are in the condition last above described, the figuringtufts are introduced, and before describing the manner of introducing them it is necessary to describe the manner of preparing and mounting the yarns from which the tufts are made. It will be seen from the foregoing that the pile of the fabric is formed of a succession of ranges of tufts of yarns extending across the fabric and with the. ends up, forin ing the surface of the pile, and it follows from this that for any determined figure desired to be produced there must be a certain and determined arrangement of the different colors of yarn from which the tufts are to be formed to produce the variety and arrangement of colors desired in each range, and this ar rangement must be varied in the several ranges required to form one entire figure of the pattern. We take aseries of long spools jabout as long as the intended breadth of fabric to be produced, the number of said spools composing the series to be equal to the number of ranges of tufts required to complete one figure. These spools we mount in succession on the links of two chains k k, which pass around spur-wheels Z Zon two parallel horizontal shafts m m, the said spurs entering the links of the chain with the view to obtain uniformity of motion, so that when motion is imparted to one of the shafts rm, the two chains shall move in unison and wit-h a positive motion to shift the spools and to bring each in succession and at each operation to the required position for introducing one range of tufts'. This motion is imparted by having a ratchet-wheel n on the end of one of the shafts m, the teeth of which ratchetwheel are acted upon at the required time by a catch o ou an arm p that v ibrates on the said shaft. rl`he end of this arm is connected by a rod q with one arm of a leverr, the other arm of which is connecied with one of the crank-rods s, which operates the lay of the loom by the rotation of the main crank-shaft t, so that the lever fr is vbrated once for each beat of the lay, and as the lay receives two beats for every complete range of tufts the arm o Will be vibrated twice to move the chain to the required distance to carry away one spool and bring the next to the required position. The yarns are wound on each spool according to the determined arrangement of colors. Each tuft is to be composed of any desired number of threads-say three or four, more or loss, at discretion. If four be the is determined by the pattern or design.

ings, all being alike.

number determined on spool No, l, the yarns are to be wound in a series of parcels corresponding in number to the number of pairs in the tufting-warps u and ataboutthc same distance apart, four threads being wound t0- gether in each parcel and the colors of the several parcels on this spool to correspond with the order which the colors are required to present in the first range of tufts, Whch n spool No. 2 the yarns are to be wound in like manner, but shifting the order of colors to correspond with the order of colors which is to be presented in the second range of tufts, and so on iu succession with all the spools until there are as many spools so wound and mounted as there are to be ranges of tufts to complete one figure, as a repetition of the series of operations willrepeat the design or figure. The manner of determining the order of the colors iu each spool is similar to the manner of determining the order of the colors to be brought to the surface in the Jacquard loom by what is known asthe design pattern. The journals of each spool are mounted in a frame u, consisting of a bar and two end pieces, each of whichV said end pieces carries a spring 'v with a projecting lip. When the frame with its spool is to be connected with the chains 7e 7c, the springs r o are contracted and put inside of the chains until the lips pass inside of the inner edge ofthelnks, and `thenby liberating the springs the frame with its spool will be held in place by the tension of the springs and the lips thereon hanging on the inner edge of the said chains. The spools, however, may be connected with the chainsin any other equivalent manner. Only one spool, With its connections complete, is rep resented in the draw- The lposition of the others is represented by red lines. Along the edge of the bar of the frame u there are a series of troughs tu at right angles to the axis of the spool, and one more in number than the number of parcels of yarn wound on each spool, and equal also to the number of pairs of tufting-warps and opposite to the spaces or divisions between the several parcels of yarn on the spools. These troughs project beyond the thickness of the bar of the frame u, so that the ends of the several parcels of yarn from the spool will pass in the spaces between and will be separated bythe several troughs. There is to be onesuch frame with its troughs foreach spool,and as many spools as ranges of tufts in a colnplete figure of the design. Spool No. l is to be brought in the beginning by the chains in the position represented in the drawings, and this is to take place immediately after the leaf of harness e has lifted up the pairs of tufting-warps a. ln this position the ends of the several parcels of yarn hanging down below the series of troughs are severally to be grasped by a series of nippers and drawn out and carried around the pairs of tufting-warps; but before this is done the frame with its spool is detached from the chain and carried down in front of the lay to the position represented in Fig. 5, so as to be just over the tuftingwarps. This is done in the following manner: Just over the lay when in its back position there is a horizontal arbor y, mounted and turning in brackets a z in the frame, and on Ithis arbor is mounted a frame a', connected with the brackets e z by helical springs b b', surrounding the arbor, so that under certain circumstances the arbor `may turn independently of the said trame. This said frame carries two short arbors c c', one at each end and at right angles to the main arbor y, and each of the said arbors c c carries a claw-arm d at one end and two short arms e f at the other end. The short arms e e of the two arbors c c are connected together by a helical spring g', the tension of which tends to separate the two claws of the arms d d. The frame ct is kept in the position represented in Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings by the tension of the helical spring b b with the claws of the arms d d opposite the springs which connect the spool-frame u with the chains 7c 7c. The arbor y has an arm h at one end connected by a rod z" with one arm of a leverj, the other arm of which carries a wrist-pin, which is made to bear by the tension of a spring la or its weight on the periphery of a cam Z', on what is termed the iiguring cam-shaft m. This cam has a depression at the point l, and from the point 1 to 2 it gradually recedes from the axis to elevate one arm of the lever j to turn the arbor y, and thereby cause two short arms n n', projecting from it, to act on the arm f f of the arbor c c to overcome the tension of the spring gand force the claw-arms d d against the springs 21 t on the spool-frame to compress and liberate them from the chains k la, and then the continued motion of the arbor y will turn the frame a to carry the spool-frame thus held between the claw-ar|ns to thev required position just The cam Z from the" point 2 to 3 is concentric to keep the spool-y over the tntting-warps.

frame in that position until the operation of cutting oit the tufts has been completed and then the cam from the point 3 to l, the place of beginning, suddenly runs toward the axis to carry the spool-frame back to the chains and withdraw the claw-arms from the springs that they may again take hold ot the chains k lc, that that spool may be carried away and'V the next in succession brought to the rc' quired position for the next range of tufts. The spool-frame having been brought to the position described-that is, just over the elevated tufting-warps-the next operation is to draw the ends of the several parcels of yarns down between and on the right side of the several pairs of tutting-warps, then under and upon the left side. This is done by a series of pairs ot nippers o', equal in number to the number of pairs of tufting -warps Only one pair of nippers is represented, as all the others are to be like it and attached and operated by the same means. One jaw of all the pairs ot nippers is attached to one bar p and the other jaws to a similar bar q. The bar p is connected by arms r fr at the ends with a plate s and in like manner the bar q is connected by arms t t with a like plate zo. These two plates s and u are connected with the face of a rocker o by screws passing through slots or elongated holes in the plates. The two said plates at one end are connected each with one of two short arms of a T-lever w', that has its fulcrum in the rocker o', so that by operating the long arm of the said lever w in one direction the two plates with the bars p and q', and their nippers attached, will be moved in one direction to open the series of nippers, and when this arm is liberated the reverse action is produced by the tension of a spring 0c to close the nippers. The rocker c is hung in the upper ends ot the two arms y 'y' of a rock-shaft e', having its bearings in themain frame.

For the purpose of imparting some of the motions to the nipper apparatus the rocker fu is provided with an arm a2, connected by a joint-link b2 with one arm of a rocking lever c2, that turns on a fulcrum-pin at (Z2, and the other arm of the said lever is provided with a wrist-pin e2, which bears by the weight of the parts against the periphery ot a cam f2 on the figuring cam-shaft m. The form of this cam f2 is represented in Fig. 4, where the arrow represents the direction of the rotation. From the point l to 2 the said cam gradually increases in radius to elevate the series of nippers, which are then closed, and carry them up through that part of the warp which is depressed. From the point 2 to 3 itis concentric for a short distance to suspend the elevating motion, while the whole series of nippers are moved to a short distance to the right that each nipper may bebrought directly under the space on the right side of one of the pairs of tufting-warps. This lateral movement is given by a face-cam g2 on the side of the ca1uf2, which said face-cam acts on the side of an arm h2 on the rockero', that carries Ithe nipper-bars, this motion being given to the said rocker against the tension of the spring 0c', which is attached to one of the arms y', so that it shall bear against the end of one of the journals of the said rocker, the two journals thereof having end play in their bearings for that purpose. The tension of this spring keeps the arm h2 against the face-cam g2 and gives the movement in the opposite direction when the face-cam passes oft from the arm. As soon as the nippers have been moved to the right that part ot' the cani f2 from the point 3 t0 4 elevates the nippers to carry them up through the tuftingwarps, and from the point 4 to 5 the said cam is concentric for a short distance to suspend the elevating motion while the nippers are being` opened. To open the nippers the long arm of the T-lever w is connected by a link jz with a lever k2, whichl is acted upon by a tappet Z2 on the figuring cam-shaft fm', and this has the effect of sliding the two nipperbars in opposite directions to the distance required to open the nippers, and while the nippers are thus kept open by the said tappet the slight swell on the cam f2 from the point 5 to 6 elevates them to bring them in the series of troughs w, one jaw of each pair of nippers being in one trough on one side of the parcel of yarn which it is to grip and the other jaw in the trough on the other side of the said parcel, so that the sides of the said troughs on each side of each parcel will guide the nippers as they are brought forward between the several parcels of yarn preparatory to nipping or gripping them. The cam having thus elevated the nippers from the point 6 to 7, it is concentric to suspend the lifting or depressing motion until they are brought forward to the required position for nipping, which is eected by another cam m2 on the same shaft m and on the periphery of which `awrist-pin n2 on one of the arms y rests.

This cam m2 from the point 1 to 2 recedes toward the axis to permit the arms y y with the whole nipping apparatus to move forward, and from the point 2 to 3 the said cam is concentric to suspend this motion for a time. The moment the nippers have been moved forward the depression from the point 7 to 8 on the cam f2 depresses the nippers below the edges of the series of troughs w that they may be closed to nip the yarns, which closing is effected in immediate succession by the tappet Z2, before described, which then passes o from the lever k2 to permit the T- lever w to be carried back by the tension of -its spring, which closes the series of nippers ment is taking place. rlhe further depression of the cam f2 from the point 9 to 10 depresses the nippers to draw down the yarns between the pairs ot' tufting-warps, one parcel on the right-hand side of each pair of warps, and then the cam from the point 10 to 11 is again concentric, while the face-cam g2 passes olf from the arm h2 that the whole series of nippers may be moved to t-he left under the tuftingwarps by the tension of the spring before described. This last motion shifts theseveral nippers from the right to the left hand side of their respective pairs of tufting-warps, and then the swell on the cam f2 from the point 1l to 12 elevates the nippers to carry the ends of the yarns up, be-

tween, and on the other side of the several pairs of warps. After the nippers are elevated they are opened to let go their hold of -the yarns, which is effected by the action of a tappet o2 like the one Z2 before described,

placed on the same shaft and in the same line of rotation and operating inthe same manner as the one before described, the cam f2 from 12 to 13 being concentric to suspend the elevation of the nippers for this purpose. Then the cam f2 from the point 13 to 14 continues to lift the nippers to carry them up entirely clear of the tufts in the fabric, and from the point 14 to 15 it is again concentric, while that part of the cam m2 from the point 3 to 4 carries the nippers back to clear the yarns. The said cam then runs in from the point 15 to 16 to depress the nippers so low as to be out of the way of the operations of the lay, and from the point 16 to 1, the place of beginning, it is concentric to keep the nipping apparatus at rest during the other operations of the loom. The moment that the nippers have carried the tufting-yarns upon the left side of the pairs of tufting-warps, and while the said nippers are being opened to liberate the said yarns, the two leaves of harness f and g, that operate the body portion of the Warp a and the binding-in warp b, are lifted up to bring these two portions of warp up to the level of the tufting-warp. The effect of this is to bring the binding-in warps from their location relatively to the pairs of tufting-warps directly under the tufts which have just been laid around the tufting-warps, one such binding-in warp between the two threads of each pair of tufting-warps, and therefore under and about in the middle of that part of the tufts which lies under each pair of tufting-warps. This, it will be seen, will hold the under part of the tufts for the time being, while at the same time the body-warps coming up from below between the several pairs of tufting-warps will bind the tufts at the sides and hold them sufficiently for the after operations. While the tufts are so held and immediately after the heddles f and g have been lifted, a series of shears are brought into position and operation to cut that portion of the yarn which forms the range of tufts from the several parcels preparatory to the weaving-in operation and the repetition of the series of operations. The shears p2 are equal in number to the number of tufts in a range (one pair only is represented, as they are all alike and operated by the same means) and at the same distance apart. Each pair of shears consists of two blades connected together by a pin in the manner of cloth-shears, and the handle of one blade is pivoted to one plate q2 and the handle of the other in like manner to another plate r2, and the handle of the one blade which is pivoted to the plate q2 is a little longer than the handle of the other. The two plates are laid onto each other, the lower edge of the plate q2 projecting beyond the edge of the plate r2. These two plates have each an elongated hole or slot near each end, and they are secured to stock-plates s2 by means of screws passing through the slots and tapped into the stock s2, so that the two plates can slide longitudinally in opposite directions on the said stock s2. One of the securing-screws is also the fulcrum-pin of a T-lever t2, the short arms of which are provided with pins which Work in notches in the edges of the two platesthat 1s, the pin on one arm in the notch of one plate and the pin of the other arm in the notch of the other plate-so that when the long arm of the said lever t2 is vibrated the two bars. are moved in opposite directions, which will have the effect to open and close the several shears of the series. The stock 32 is attached to the ends of two arms u2 u2 of a rock-shaft o2, mounted in the frame and surrounded by a helical spring to2, attached at one end to the frame and at the other end to the said rock-shaft, so that itstension tends to keep the shears in the elevated position represented in Fig. t of the drawings. One of the arms u2 isv connected by a joint-link :r2 with the upper end of a lever liff-provided with a wrist-pin which bears against the periphery of a cain (i/zon the figuring 'cam-shaft m and this cam is concentric from the point l to 2 that the tension of the spring w2 may keep the slieai's in their elevated position, and from 2 to3the said cam rims out to draw the shears down, so that the blades will be Just under that part of the trough on the spoolframe where the parcels of yarn are hanging down. From the point 3 to 4 this cani is concentric to keep the shears in that position during the cutting operation, and from 4 to l, the place of beginning, the cam recedes to permit the tension of the spring to carry back the shears to their elevated position. The position of the operative part of this cam y2 is such relatively to the cam f2 which operates the nippers, as represented in the drawings, and with the view to give the motions 1n the orderdescribed. As the shears are brought down and forward they are open that the blades of each pair may pass each side of the parcels of yarn, and they are kept open by the tension of a spring d3, which tends to keep the lever t2 in the position represented in the drawings, Fig. 7, the said spring being attached to the stock s2 and to a connectingrod b3, which connects the long` arm of the lever t2 with one arm of a lever c3, the other arm of which is connected by a link d3 with another lever e3, which carries a Wrist-pin acted upon by another cam f3 on the figuring cam-shaft m. The form of this cam is such that the moment the shears have reached the required position the lever e3 is depressed to close the blades of the shears and clip the yarns, and then the cam passes off to permit the shears to be opened again before they are moved back out of the Way of the lay. As the apparatus for inserting and cutting off the tufts remains still dui-ing the operations of weaving in, and the lay is not operated during the operation of inserting and cutting off the tufts, the mechanism is so arranged that the crank-shaft t, which operates the lay, is stopped, while the figuring cam-shaft is in operation, and vice versa. This is effected in the following manner: The fast driving-pulley h3 is attached to and turns with a spur-wheel i3, loosely on the crank-shaft t, which operates the lay and connected therewith by a sliding clutch k3. The spur-wheel is imparts motion to another spur-wheel Z3 on the shaft m3, which operates the picker-motion, and on this shaft by the side of the wheel Z3 there is a pinion n3, that turns thereon freely and which is provided withia sliding clutch o3, and motion is imparted from the pinion n3 to the figuring cam-shaft m by a train of cog-wheels p3 and Q3. The two clutches k3 and o3 are operated by the opposite ends of a lever r3, so that the vibrations of this lever shall clutch the one when it unclutches the other, and vice versa, thus stopping the figuring cam-shaft when the lay crank-shaft is started and stopping tlie crank-shaft when the cam-shaft is started. This lever r3 is operated at the required periods by a cam s3, that acts on a lever t3, which is connected by a rod a3 with the end of the lever r3. This cam is on the heddle cam-shaft o3, to be presently described, and the form of the cam is represented in Fig. 10 to vibrate the clutch-lever at the periods of time indicated and specied. The

manner iii which the heddle cam-shaft re-V ceives motion is clearly represented and will be hereinafter described. So soon as the operations of the shears have been completed, as above described, the clutches are shifted in the manner already described, which suspends all the movements of the figuring or tufting apparatus and puts in action the crank-shaft t, which is connected by two rods s s with the lay x3, and this position of the clutches is maintained during two entire revolutions of the crank that the lay may give two beats in succession, and then the clutches are shifted to suspend the further action of the lay and rest-art the figuring apparatus to insert another range of tufts, andso on in succession. The first beat of the lay is for beating up the range of tufts last inserted to carry them up to the required place next to the previous range in the woven fabric, and this first beat takes place before the weftthread is put in. It has already been described that in mounting the loom one dent of the reed is placed between the two threads of each pair of tufting-warps, and in consequence of this the reed will act on the whole series of tufts and force them up to their place in the fabric, because the dent which is between the two threads of each pair of warps strikes on that part of the tufts 'which extends under each pair of tufting-warps; but, although the dents of the reed will act properly on that part of the tufts, the upper part of the tufts extending up above the warps require also to be forced up, and for this purpose there is a thin metallic plate if placed in front of the reed and supported by it. The ends of this plate are fitted to slide up and down freely on rods z3 in the lay, so that the lower edge of the said plate Will rest by gravity on the warps and will move freely up and down with them. As the lay moves forward to beat up the tufts the lower edge of this plate Li/3 will move on the warp-threads and its front face will strike against that part of the tufts extending above the warps, while the dents of the reed will act on the lower part. In this way the tufts are properly controlled until they are properly bound in place by the weaving-in operation.

During the operations of inserting the tufts the warp-threads are liable to be moved laterally, which might produce defects in the fabric. ToV prevent this there is a plate a, the ends of which are secured for adjustment in elongated holes in the lower ends of pendulous rods b4 b4, hung one on each side by fulcrum-pins to the frame in front of the lay. The pendulous rods are provided with a spring c4, the tension of which tends to carry them back with the plate toward the lay and against the stop d4, which gages their movement backward as the lay recedes, and they are moved forward by the rail e4 of the lay striking against them in the forward beat. The lower edge of the said plate d4 is grooved to correspond with the position of the warpthreads in the reed and to receive them when they are elevated by the operation of the heddles. From this it will be seen that when the tufting-warps are elevated they will be held in the appropriate grooves inthis plate, so th atl they can not be displaced laterally by the operations of inserting the tufts. As the lay moves forward to beat up the last range of tufts, the plate a4 is forced forward out of the way, and on the return motion of the lay the plate will be carried back to its appropriate position by the spring c4. After the lay has forced the range of tufts to their place "and is moving back, the two leaves of harness e and f are depressed to bring down the whole of the warp a., and the other leaf of harness g remains up to keep the binding-in warps bin their elevated position. In this condition the picking motion takes place to throw the weftthread across, which is then driven home by the second beat of thelay and bound in place by the crossing of the warps in the usual way, and although we prefer to give but two beats of the lay for each complete operation it will be obvious that the number of beats may be varied. It will be evident, also, that the warps which were up before the weft-thread was thrown should be brought down, and those which were down carried up to bind in the weft-thread. After the Weaving-in motions have been completed the lay motions are again stopped and the tufting apparatus again started; but before this proceeds the tufting-warps, if depressed in the operations of weaving in, must be elevated and the other warps depressed before the tufting operations take place and for the reasons already described.

The three leaves of harness are operated by three vertical levers f 4 g4 h4, the leaf ebeing connected by two cords above with the upper end of the lever f4 and by one cord with the'lower'end of the same lever, the said cords passing over and under suitable guiderollers for that purpose. The leaf f is connected in like manner wit-h the lever g4, and the leaf g with the lever h4. The said levers are hung on a fulcrum-pin in the middle of their length, and the lower part of each is enlarged and cut out, as at i4, to extend on both sides of the cams 3'4 7a4 Z4, by which they are operated alternately in opposite directions to elevate and depress the heddles. There is one set of cams for each lever, each set consisting of two parts placed side by side on the shaft o3, the one part acting on aprojection m4 of the lever to move it in one direction and the other part acting on the projection n4 on the other side to move the lever in the opposite direction. The set of cams .7'4 operate the lever f 4, the set 7a4, the lever g4, and the third Z4, the lever h4, and the form of each should be such as to give the motions de-v scribed, the required form being represented in-Fig. 11 ofthe drawings. Motion is imparted continuously to the heddle cam-shaft o3 from the picker-shaft m3 by a bevel-pinion p4 on the latter and a bevel-wheel Q4 on the former. The picking motion for throwing the weftthread is to be given between the first and second beats of the lay and may be given in any suitable manner not necessary to describe and represent, as it makes no part of this invention.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that many changesmay be made in the construction and arrangement of machinery above described within the range of our invention by the substitution of mechanical equivalents, the mode of application above described being the one which we have selected and tested by successful experiments-as,

for instance, instead of winding the several parcels of tufting-yarns on a series of spools,

`with each spool made of sufficient length to receive all the parcels of yarn required for an entire range of tufts, a series of small spools may be mounted on an arbor and substituted for each long spool.

Instead of making each range with one tutt for each pair of tufting-warps, the figure of the pile may be so disposed as to apply tufts to only a portion of the pairs of warps in each range; but we prefer the mode of application rst-above described, as the pile can be made more perfect and compact.

Instead of having the spool-frames made so that they can be separately detached from the chains and brought down in close proximity with the warps for the tufting operation and then reattached to the chain, the whole apparatus carrying the spool-frames may be made movable to bring each spool-frame in succession down in close proximity with the warpsand then lifted up to get the spoolframes out of the way; or, instead of lowering each spool-frame separately or the whole series together, the required result may be obtained by giving a greater range of motion to the Whole series of nippers to take hold of the tufting-yarns and draw them doWn between the Warps, and when cut off the ends of yarns hanging down may be bent or moved out of the Way of the lay when beating up the tufts and the Wefts; but We prefer to use a mechanism as first-above described for detaching the spool-frames from the chains to bring them to the required position.

Instead of making the nippers as above described, the two jaws of each pair may be pivoted together and operated like the shears above described, and the shears instead of being pivoted and operated as above described may be connected and operated as the nippers first-'above described; or the nippers and shears may be made and operated in any other suitable manner which will admit of operating the series simultaneously to perform the operations described.

Instead of connecting the bar which beats up the upper part of the tufts With the lay, it may be disconnected With the lay and operated separately, provided it be made to act in unison with the lay. The crossgrooved bar for holding the tufting-Warps may be differently operated by being attached to a sliding or vibrating frame and moved up and down and back and forth, moved down close to the reed to receive the tufting-Warps when elevated, and then forward to be sufficiently near to the nippers When inserting the tufts to prevent the Warps from being moved laterally, and then up to be out of the Way of the lay; but We prefer the mode of application above described as being more simple; and

so with the heddle motion, any other equivalent mechanism for giving the required motions to the heddles may be substituted, and although We have pointed out the different modes of application Which We have contemplated We do not Wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to such modes, as other modes of application may be devised; but we have pointed out such modes to show that the principles or modes of operation Which constitute our said invention maybe applied in various Ways by the substitution of equivalent means.

, Vhat We claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Mounting the yarns for forming the ranges of tufts in parcels on a series of spools or equivalents therefor in the order required for producing the design or pattern required, so that each spool or the equivalent therefor may be brought in succession to the required position for each range of tufts, substantially as described.

2. The mode of operation, substantially as herein described, by which the spool-frame required at each operation is brought down in close proximity with the tufting-Warps and then carried out of the Way of the lay when performing its operations, as described.

3. The mode of operation by which the tufts of yarn are introduced and applied to the tufting-Warps, substantially as described.

4. The mode of operation by which the tufts are cut off from the yarns after they have been introduced and applied to the Warps, substantially as described.

5. The mode of operation by which the tufts are carried to the required place in the fabric by the combined action of the reed and plate or any equivalent therefor, as described.

6. In combination with the several modes of operation by which the tufts are introduced, the employment of the heddle motion, substantially as described, for binding and holding the said tufts by the Warp-threads.

ALEXANDER SMITH. HALCYON SKINNER. "Witnesses:

WM. H. BISHOP, CHAs. A. WILSON. 

